The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, has held the 4th Pan-African Artificial Intelligence and Smart Systems Conference (PAAISS) to build a sustainable, inclusive, and responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) ecosystem for Africa.
This conference brought together researchers, industry experts, policymakers, and students. It aims to discuss innovative AI solutions and their applications in various sectors, including healthcare, energy, agriculture, and finance.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickson highlighted the importance of Artificial Intelligence in promoting the growth of all nations around the globe.
“To say the world is evolving at a very fast rate is an understatement these days. In view of this, one cannot downplay the significance of Artificial Intelligence and other emerging technologies in our world today. Indeed, no nation can be left out in this revolution, which is changing all aspects of how we live and work globally,” she said.
Professor Mrs. Dickson also commended the Responsible Artificial Intelligence Lab (RAIL) for its continuous dedication and commitment to finding solutions to problems around the world.
“I have been very excited about the traffic RAIL has attracted since its inception. We receive visits from partners and friends regularly. These calls indeed gladden our hearts as they serve as opportunities to share, improve and network in finding solutions to global problems,” she said.
Chairing the event, Professor Jerry John Kponyo, Principal Investigator of RAIL, urged the participants to use Artificial Intelligence responsibly and not make it a replacement for human labour.
“It is my strongest opinion that AI and emerging technologies should enable humans to be better at what we do and not take over from us. There must be human oversight in the deployment of emerging technologies with safeguards to pull the plug should an agentic AI go rogue,” he encouraged.
Professor Kponyo underscored the need to create an avenue for professionals outside Ghana to return and contribute their quota to transform the continent.
“KNUST has always been a leader, and today, like the biblical mustard seed, we will want to sow a seed through this conference, which will create a pipeline for all the experts in the diaspora to come home so together we can build the needed capacity in AI, Quantum, IoT, Blockchain and emerging technologies to transform our continent,” he stated.
Professor Thomas Ndousse-Fetter, from the Imhotep Geostrategic Innovations, USA, urged all the participants to come on board to help inculcate our African values into AI.
“The answers we get have left out all our culture and values. We want to look inside our algorithms and see that our cultural values are not compromised,” he charged.
Professor Mohammad Jamal Deen, from McMaster University in Canada, highlighted the role AI can play in our healthcare. He encouraged the use of AI to generate tools to improve health.
Story by: Amanda Boamah Twum-Ampomah
